The Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning his silence on demands for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET-UG and other exam lapses.
The CJP's protest near Jantar Mantar here has entered its 15th day. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite fast at the venue has entered its seventh day.
In the letter, the CJP highlighted how "instead of an empathetic dialogue", Pradhan had labelled them "terrorists" while BJP president Nitin Nabin had threatened to "teach a lesson" to the youths for "daring to raise our voices against this broken, corrupt system and these preventable deaths".
"One is forced to wonder: can a hunger strike move a leadership that has nothing but absolute contempt for its own people?" CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in the letter.
Dipke said: "Your resounding silence makes us ask — do you truly believe we are just 'cockroaches'? If you, as the Prime Minister, refuse to respond to the Cockroach Janta Party's peaceful hunger strike, your silence stands as a tacit admission that you view the youth of this country as nothing more than pests to be ignored."
The CJP urged Modi to break his silence and hold Pradhan accountable. "How long will your government choose to ignore our voices?" the CJP asked Modi, citing Wangchuk's dedication and contribution to the cause of education.
"We are sitting here because your government has repeatedly failed to stop exam paper leaks that have shattered the faith and future of crores of young Indians. We are sitting here because your education minister refuses to accept moral responsibility and resign from a post he has occupied for close to five years.
"Today, as you continue to look away, that devastating count (suicides) has crossed 29 students. Every single day your government chooses silence, the body count of India's future rises," the letter said.